The operational requirement of, for instance, spectrometers, including both monochrometer and spectrograph systems, for light beams of controlled intensity and bandwidth is well known. Briefly, a spectrometer is any spectroscopic instrument whether it scans wavelengths individually, or entire spectra simultaneously and whether it employs a grating or a prism. A monochrometer is a spectrometer which images a single wavelength or wavelength band at a time, and a spectrograph is a spectrometer which images a range of wavelengths simultaneously.
Illumination of a slit, and the width thereof, determine the intensity and bandwidth, (within limits), of light which enters a spectrometer, monochrometer, spectrograph etc. with which it is associated, therethrough. As slit width increases, the intensity and bandwidth of light impinging thereon which pass therethrough both increase. As high light intensity and a small bandwidth are typically desirable, it will be appreciated that an optimum slit width will exist for any application. That is, a tradeoff is necessary. Precise control of a slit width is thus necessary.
A search of relevant materials has provided a general reference titled "Diffraction Grating Handbook", edited by Palmer, and published by Milton Roy Company in 1994. While not describing specific mechanisms for providing a slit width, the effects of slit width control are discussed therein.
In addition a Saito U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,661 describes a slit shutter system of the two blade type which employs electrically operated magnetic drive means arranged on opposite sides of respective rotatable transmission means. While the Saito system is directed at accomplishing a similar effect to that accomplished by the present invention, the mechanical linkage thereof is quite different, and is more complex than that of the present invention.
Other Patents of which the inventor is aware, but which are not considered to be particularly relevant are; U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,502 to Mielke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,950 to Senuma et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,461 to Morean et al.
There exists a need for an additional bilateral slit assembly slit width controlling system, which slit width controlling system is capable of precisely providing intended slit width, typically in conjunction with a computer driven stepper motor, and which slit width controlling system is simpler to construct and utilize than existing slit width controlling systems.